Tag Archives: Retro Movie Review

by Steven Doyle | July 7, 2025 · 2:52 pm

Retro Movie Review: “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” -1953

Few films shimmer with the glitter and glee of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes—a Technicolor marvel that proves brains, beauty, and charm can share the same spotlight. Directed by Howard Hawks and released in 1953, this musical comedy serves as both a celebration and sly satire of materialism, friendship, and the social mores of its era. With Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell lighting up the screen in perfect comic contrast, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is more than a sugar-coated romp—it’s a sparkling showcase of wit, song, and scene-stealing performances.

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Retro Movie Review: Shampoo (1975)

Directed by Hal Ashby | Written by Robert Towne & Warren Beatty | Starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, Jack Warden

Set in the glossy, glitzy chaos of Beverly Hills on the eve of the 1968 presidential election, Shampoo follows George Roundy (Warren Beatty), a wildly charismatic hairdresser with a talent for seducing the women who sit in his salon chair. George is ambitious—he dreams of opening his own salon—but his entrepreneurial drive is constantly sidetracked by the entanglements of his love life. In one day, George juggles affairs with his ex-girlfriend Jackie (Julie Christie), his current girlfriend Jill (Goldie Hawn), and Felicia (Lee Grant), the wife of a powerful businessman who could help him fund his salon.

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Retro Film Review: Papillon (1973)

Papillon (1973), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, is a gripping tale of survival, friendship, and the relentless pursuit of freedom. Based on Henri Charrière’s autobiographical novel, the film stars Steve McQueen as the indomitable Henri “Papillon” Charrière and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega, his unlikely partner in the harrowing journey through the brutal French Guiana penal colony. While the story is one of escape, it’s the painstaking journey, both physically and emotionally, that captures the essence of Papillon.

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